Yarn tube unit for axminster tube frames



Aug. 26, 1952 w. Y. oss

YARN TUBE UNIT FOR AXMINISTER TUBE FRAMES Original Filed Nov. 14,. 1947 FIG.2

INVENTOR WALTER Y. ROBB ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 26, 1952 UNITED STATES TENT tomes YARN TUBE UNIT FOR AXMINs'rEn- TUBE:

FRAMES p Walter Y. Robb, Whitinsville, Mass, assignor' to Crompton & Knowles Loom Works, Worcester,-. Mass. a corporation of Massachusetts 7 Continuation of application Serial No. 785,988,-

November 14, 1947. This application. Septem ber 30, 1950, Serial No. 187,815

6 Claims. (01., 13-1ii) Axminster looms operate. with. a large number 7 of tube frames each of which carries spools wound with variously colored. tuftforming yarns. Theseyarns extend downwardly from the spools through. spaced tubes secured to the tube frame. During a. tuft forming operation the tube frame is dipped so that the yarn tubes and the yarns projecting from themextend below the warp sheds H Yarn tubes as heretofore; constructed have caused: diificulty in the, manipulation. of. the tuft yarns due partly to the manner in which the yarn tubes arev made and also the. manner. in which; they are attached to the tube frame. One common method of making a tube frame is to provide a series of yarn tubes independent of each other and held on asheet steel bracket or the like extending along, the metal tube of the tubeframe. Such yarn tubes do not always preserve their correct alignment because of their individual mountings and it is necessary to bend themfrom time to time so that they willregister. with thebinder warps. during; the tubeframe dipping operation. Furthermoratheyarn tubes have ordinarily been made from sheet metal folded; on itself in-such manner that; the overlapping edges; catch onthetuft yarns.

Itiis an important object; of, the present invention: to provide: a comparatively short yarn tube unit provided with a plurality ofyarntubes formed: integral, with; a; body or" base member adapted for attachment to the barof the tube frame, and so constructed that the yarnpassages formed interiorly of the yarn tubes will be smooth: and offer no. appreciableresistanceto movement: of yarns; through them.

His another: object of the invention to provide'theunit with arail; shelf orthelike extending laterally. from. the base; or; body and having integral therewitha set ofyarntubes the thread passagesof which open upwardly through the rail;

It is a still further object: or the-invention to provide a' unit made of a moldablaorrpl'astic' material, such as a die casting or. aplastic resin,

wherein all-parts of: the umt are integrated with each other. Units made in this way are accurately dimensioned and can be secured tothe tube frame side by side with the yarn tubes properly spaced along: the length: ofithe: tube frame.

" alsozh'eld in spacedrelation duringrthei tuftform With these and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, invention resides in the combination and. arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth.

In the accompanying drawings -wherein a convenient embodiment of the invention is? set forth,

Fig. 1 is an elevation offone endv of a tube frame showing a clutchi for releasing. the tube frame from one of. the. transporting chains.

Figs. Z-and- 3- are vertical sections on lines 2--2 and 3-3, respectively, of Fig. 1',,

Fh'g. 4. is an enlarged vertical. section on line &--4 of; Fig. 3, and.

I Fig. 5 v is a plan. view looking. in. the direction of arrow 5 Fig. 4-, the base-or bodyoii the being shown in section.

Referring particularly-tol ig. 1', the tube frame designated generally at. '1 comprises an elongated tubular bar it whichma-y be-of rectangular cross section. A bracket l t is=secured=to the end of the bar'andh'as; a spool bearing 12 for one end of the yarn spool. l3. Ihe latter will ordinarily be wound with a number of differently colored yarns used in the formation of the: tufts of Axminster fabrics. 1' only: one-of these'yarns is shown atY.

Thebracket H also has a-tongue liwhich extends between the links; of:- a transporting chain designated at I6; and a hook "overhangs one of thelinks of the transporting.- chain and is the means by which the tube frame: is supported on the chain. The loom.is provided with ai clutch l'8 havin'g a foot is" and side? wings one of which is shown at 29. Theupperpart 2110f. theclutchiisad'apted forengagement. with the hook. It. When a tube frame reaches'athe transferistation in the loom the'clutch l8' willzmove inwardly; and after the foot i9 has passed under'the 'bar lflthe hook H will. be moved to theleft= as: viewed in Fig; i to disconnect the .tube frame from" the chain l 6. The: clutch. then descends dip. the 1 tube frame andenable itto performthe tuft for'ming operation. During the "latter part of the operation the tube frame is raised and the" spool l3 turns as 'e'nough yarnis. drawn off'for'the next row'of tufts which the; tube" frame. will Y form when itis active 'again: AJ brake 22 for thesp'ool prevents excess;'angular: movement" of. the latter during pulling-off operationzw y The: matter thus. far described: isrusuaL in the construction of."Axniinster'tubeiframes and of itself forms no part of: my" present I invention ex cept asindicated hereinafter;

The-i tuft:- formin'gr yarnlYf must be guided and ing operation. This result is usually accom- In order tov clarify theshowing of Fig. i

plished by means of yarn tubes already mentioned herein, but such tubes as heretofore made have had rough edges in their yarn guiding passageways. and furthermore they have ordinarily been separate from each other and individually held to the tube frame in such manner as has permitted them to lose their alignment.

In carrying my present invention into effect I provide a tuft yarn tube unit designated generally at U comprising a base or body 30 which is fiat and is held against the adjacent side wall 3| of the bar ID by means of screws 32. The latter are tapped into the wall 3| as indicated in Fig. 3, but I do not wish necessarily to be limited to this particular means of attaching the body 30 to the bar.

Extending laterally from the body 30 is a fiat rail, shelf or the like 35 which when the unit is in position on the tube frame will be parallel to the latter as indicated for instance in Fig. 2. Depending from the rail are yarn tubes 36 which are spaced from each other as indicated in Fig.1 and provided with smooth interior yarn guiding passages 31. These passages extend entirely through the yarn tube 36 and communicate with and open upwardly through mouths 38 formed in rail 35, as indicated in Figs.3 and 4. v

Extending upwardlyfrom the rail 35 in a direction more or less parallel to the body 30 is a stiffening wall 40 "connected to body 30 by several thin reinforcing fins 4|. These fins areof a thickness which does not exceed the space be tween adjacent passages 31 and therefore do not interfere with yarns Y as the -latter pass from the spool to the passages. r V In order that-the unit may be correctly positioned on the bar l the base 30 may be formed with a lateral flange 45 which overhangs the top 46 of the bar It as viewed in Fig. 3. While flange 45 is a'convenient means for locating the unit U on the'tube frame I do not wish necessarily to be limited to it in the practice of the invention.

A- significant feature of the invention is that all parts of the u'nit are integralwith each other and the yarn tubes have continuous and uninterrupted smooth yarn passages through them, a feature which so far as I am aware has not previously been attained in the manufacture of tube frames. The material of which the unit is made may conveniently be a linear polyacidamide thermoplastic, or more briefly a polyamide resin, this material being marketed under the trade name nylon. Such a material is strong and will hold'its shape, is not'subject to the rusting which is such a common fault with'metal yarn tubes heretofore used; and is transparent so that the condition of the tuft yarnslY in the tubes 36 can be determined visually.

The yarn tube unit can be made not only of the polyamide resin already mentioned, but can also be made of. other plastics, such as vinyl chloride, phenolic formaldehyde, or methyl methacrylate, and ii desired can be formed as a metallic die casting.

From the foregoing it will beseen that I have provided a simple compact yarn tube unit for an Axminster tube. frame wherein the supporting base or'body 30 which is attached to the tube frame has formed integrally therewith theyarn tubes'and the rail 35 from which the tubes depend. It will also beseenthat the rail 35 is reinforced both. by thewall and the. fins 4|. The interior passages 31ifor; the tuft yarns are smooth to permit uninterrupted movement of the yarns through them. The yarn passages .open

through the rail 35 and their peripheries transverse of the length of the tubes are uninterrupted. The preferred form of the invention is made of a transparent plastic material, preferably a polyamide resin, permitting the yarns to be seen through the tubes.

Having thus described the invention it will be seen that changes and modifications of the foreoing specific disclosure may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 1

What is claimed as new is:

1. A yarn tube unit for an Axminster tube frame, said unit comprising a body adapted for attachment to the tube frame, a rail projecting laterally from the body, a wall extending from the rail, reinforcing fins transverse of the body connecting the latter to said wall, and a plurality of parallel spaced yarn tubes projecting from said rail and each formed with a yarn passage opening through said rail, said fins having a thickness not substantially exceeding the distance between adjacent yarn passages and beinglocated along said unit at intervals corresponding to groups of yarn passages and defining a space for each group between said body and wall communicating with the yarn passages of the group.

2. A yarn tube-unit for an Axminster tube frame including a longitudinal bar, said unit comprising a body adapted for attachment to said bar, a rail extending laterally from said body and having yarn receiving mouths formed therein, and a plurality of parallel yarn tubes continuous in transverse section supported by and projecting laterally from the rail and having tuft yarn receiving passages therethrough communicating with and opening through said mouths in the rail, the latter and the mouths therein lying in a plane perpendicular to said yarn passages.

3. A yarn tube unit for an Axminster tube frame, said unit comprising a body adapted for attachment to the tube frame, a rail projecting laterally from the body, a wall spaced from said body and extending'from the rail in a given direction, reinforcing fins transverse of the body connecting the latter to said wall, and a plurality of parallel spaced yarn tubes projecting from said rail in a direction opposite to said given direction and each formed with a yarn passage opening through said rail between said body and that part of said wall adjacent to said rail, said body, rail, wall, fins and yarn tubes all being integral with each other, said fins being spaced along the unit at intervals corresponding to a plurality of yarn passages to define spaces between the rail, body and wall into which said yarn passages open.

4. A yarn tube unit for an Axminster tube frame including a longitudinal bar, said unit comprising a fiat body adapted for attachment to said bar, a rail extending laterally from said body and having yarn receiving mouths formed therein, a plurality of parallel yarn tubes continuous in transverse section supported by and projecting laterally from the rail and having tuft yarn receiving passages therethrough communicating with and opening through said mouths in the rail, and fiat reinforcing fins parallel to said passages connecting the rail to the body, said rail and the mouths therein lying in a plane perpendicular to said yarn passages. j

5. The yarn unit set forth in claim 4 wherein the1 fins are located between said mouths in the rai.

6. A yarn tube unit for an Axminster tube frame including a longitudinal bar, said unit com.-

prising a flat body adapted for attachment to said bar, a plurality of parallel yarn tubes integral with said body continuous in transverse section extending from said unit and having tuft yarn receiving passages therethrough, said tubes having parts thereof formed as extensions of the body so that continuations of said passages lie along said body.

WALTER Y. ROBB.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date Turner Apr. 13, 1920 Hathaway Dec. 16, 1924 Alvord Feb. 27, 1934 Garrity Feb. 22, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Apr. 20, 1922 

